Quick-firing gun.



,No. 738,666. PATENTED SEPT. 23, 1903. A. T. DAWSON & L. SILVERMAN.

QUICK FIRING GUN. Arfmonrox FILED MAR. 7, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

Zyerrrzazz xvi No 738,666; PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903. A. T. DAWSON 8: L. SILVERMAN.

. QUICK FIRING GUN. APPLICATION npnn an. 1, 1903.

QW 0 9 1 8 m P E s D E T N mu .AA M .R E V L I s L & N 0 S w A D m A 6 1 8 3 0 N QUICK FIRING GUN. Arrmouxou rum) an. 7. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

11d MODEL.

,666. I PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903;

A. T. DAWSON & L. SILVBRMAN.

I No. 738

QUICK FIRING GUN. APPLIUATIOK FILED MAB. '1, 190a.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- H0 MODEL.

z'z/z'zwwwx wazzwa wflarmwdazz w m w m g? UNITED STATES- Patented September 8 1903.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND LOUIS sILVERMAN, or Lonoor rsnc LAND, ASSIGNORS TO vIcKERs sons & MAXIM, LIMITED, or'wis's'r- MINSTER, ENGLAND.

QUICK-FIRING qua.

srrcrrrcazrrdn forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,666, dated September 9, 190.6. Application fil d March 7,1903. Serial no; 146,752. (no an.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,AR'rHUR TREVOR DawsoN, lieutenant of the Royal Navy, director and superintendent of Ordnance Works,.and LOUIS SILVERMAN, engineer, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at 32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county of London, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Quickpress the spring of said piston. Another of Firing Guns, of which the following is a speci fication. p

This invention hasreference to quick-firing guns, particularly those of the kind in which there is a transverselyrsliding breechblock and in which the cartridges are supplied to thegun by a hinged cartridge-carrier situate''lmmediately below a hopper, which carrier atthe proper times descends with a cartridge and brings the same in alinement with the charge-chamber, when by'the action ofa spring piston or pusher the cartridge is projected or thrown from the carrier into said charge-chamber, as explained in the specifications of some of our prior patents, of which No. 644,969 is an example.

One part of our invention has reference to various improvementsin the cartridge-carrier and the parts in connection therewith. One of these improvements has for its object to prevent the cartridge in the carrier from becoming-displaced by vibration of the parts during the firingof the gun or the forward portion of said cartridge from unduly rising in the carrier and the carrier from descending without the cartridge. Another of these improvements has for its object to shift the cartridge longitudinally forward in the carrier during the descent of the latter, this shifting of the cartridge being effected by a lever contrivance instead of by a curved surface at the rear end of the carrier,'as before. Another of theseimprovemen'ts has for its object to prevent the hinged catch, pawl, or striker of the spring piston or pusher from missingthelugwithwhichitmustengagewhen in its cocked position, such missing being liable to occur by the vibration of the said striker about its hinge during the working of the gun and during the time the piston is being retracted by the recoiling gun to comthese improvements has fopitsobject to en able the carrier to be readily detached, to-

piece of the gun is connected with its stem, I

so that when the gun is being-fired the gunagainst'the resistanceof the aforesaid 'pistonner can push the shoulder-piece iorwardly spring,,which will then serve as a bufler to assist in absorbing the shocker vibration when the gunis fired.

In order that our said invention may. be

clearly-understood and readily carried into effect, we will describe the same more fully 1 with reference to the accompanying drawings,

in which- I 1 Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, and Fig. 2 aplan, of an automatic quick firing gun provided with our improvements..

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the breech end of the gun drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, and Fig. ,5 a crosssection on the line 1 1 of Fig. 4, showing the,

device for preventing the cartridge from be v coming vertically displaced in the carrier,

Figs; 6 and 7 are sectional elevations showing the device for shifting the cartridge longitudinally. forward in the carrieras the latter descends, Fig. 6 representingthe carrier raised and Fig. 7the carrier lowered. Figs.

8 and 9 are side elevations showing themeans. f

for preventing the striker of the spring pis ton or pusher from participatingin unnecessary movement about itshinge, these figures respectively representing the striker fully,

retracted and engaged with its lug. .Fig. .10

is a'central vertical section taken throughtheforward part of the spring piston or pusher.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectionshowinghow the shoulder-piece isconnected with its stem in order to permit-of its being pushed forward against the resistance of the pusher-spring to enable the latter to serve as a bufier when the gun is being fired. Fig. 12 isaside ele-' vation of thehopper with the carrier hinged thereto instead of to the stem otthe crutch,

as heretofore.

In all the figures like letters of reference indicate similar parts.

' A is the recoiling gun-barrel, and A frame or casing in which it recoils. B is the breech-block, which is adapted to -'slide vertically to open and close the breech by the operation of the block-actuatingarm B, which is carried bya transverse shaft B that turnssin one direction by 'the re'coiling movement of the barrel and in the other direction by the reaction of a spring contained in a box or casing B as is well understood.

0 is the cartridge-case extractor, which is.

mounted on the axle G and has the toe-piece 0* for engagement with the cam B on the shaft 13 when the block descends into its fully-opened position, thereby maintaining the breech open until a fresh cartridge in-entering the breech-chamber releases said extractor from the said cam'B and permits the which bears against the-cocking-arm E and the shorter member against the sear F.

H is the lifting-lever, which is hinged at H to the-gun-b'arrel and is controlled by the v "breech-block for lifting the hinged cartridge-' carrier I as the block rises and releasing said carrier as it descends.

J is the cartridge-hopper. Kis the shoulder piece. Lis the stem there-. of, which is hollow and contains the piston M and its spring M. M is the striker,hin ed to said piston and operating to project the cartridge from the carrier when released from a stop L on the stem L.

N is the brake-cylinder.

O is the trigger of the firing mechanism,

The cartridge-carrier I is hinged at I to they stem of the shoulder-piece and receives its movement about said'hinge by the action of the lifting-lever H in an analogous manner to that explained in'the aforesaid prior specification. About'midway of the leugthirf the said ,carrier, Figs. 4 and 5, we provide pawl or catch 'i, which is actedupon by aspring 13, that normally tends to keep lateral steps i.

on the pawl pressed against recessed lugs i of its spring,

in which said pawl is mounted, whereby said pawl occupies the position represented in Fig. 5; When, however, the lowermost cartridge escapes from the hopper J (as it does whlen the carrier rises and actuates the escapement device j, as is well understood in guns of this kind) and falls into the carrier, the said pawl 'i will give way and permit the cartridge to pass, but will immediatelyafter resume its original position under the action in which position it will elfectually prevent the cartridge from unduly rising in the carrier'should it tend to do so. The cartridge will thus compelled to remain in to the .vertical.

' spring also acts to ceases the carrier v loading post atter is descending into s when projected from said carrier i rag-pusher M it will be directed prop 0 the breech-chamber.

Mounted on the ningepin I of the cartridge-carrier is a crank i (see Figs. 6 and 7,)

said pin and crank being stationary. I To the free end of said crank is hinged by a pin 1 a rod or finger I, the free end of which lies within and is supported by an aperture 1 in the rear end of the cartridge-carrier. When the carrier is in its raised position,- Fig. 6,

the said free end of the rod or finger I only slightly protrudes (if at all) throughthe aperture 1 ,'so that it offers no impediment to the passage of the lowermostcan tridge from the hopperinto the carrier. When, however, the said carrier is permitted todescend into its loading position, Fig. 7, the free end of the rod or finger I is caused to protrude toaconsiderable extent through the aperture I by reason of its eccentric con nectionwith the hinge-pin I. 'In so doing said rod or finger pushes the cartridge in the carrier longitudinally forward to cause its flange or rim to come under the internally flanged or beaded edges 1' of the carrier, said flanged or beaded edges serving to guide the cartridge during the time it is being projected-from the carrier into the charge-chamber. The said striker -M is formed with a hingepin m, ed to entera transverse hole in the head of the piston M; This hinge-pin is formed with a recess the bottom m" of which is inclined The said transverse hole is formed with an opening through which a fiatended prolongation 'm on a disk m projects and engages with the aforesaid recess of the hinge-pin m. 'lhe'said disk is kept in position by the spring M, and the pressure of this prolongation m pressed against the inclined bottom on of the recess, so that the striker M is constantly tending to turn upwardly. The opposite on free end of the said striker has a shoulder m, which under the influence of the aforesaid spring M, acting through the aforesaid hinge connection, engages with a fixed lug L on the stem L of' the shoulderpiece, thereby keeping the spring-piston retracted when it has been pushed backward by the gun-barreld urin g its recoil movement.

The free end of said striker also has-a lateral finger m which when the striker is liberated from the lug L' enters (under the action of the spring rier and strikes the base of the cartridge contained therein, thus projecting the latter from the carrier into the breech-chamber. This liberation of the striker from the lug L is effected by the carrier acting on the lateral pin or projection m of the striker as said carrier falls from its raised position to its loading position by the opening movement of the breech-block and the descent of the lit-tinglever HQ Situated on the stem L of the shoulkeep the flat end of the M) an elongated hole in the carder-piece, at a point below the free end of the striker when it is in its engaged or cocked spring.

position, Fig. 9, is a lateral stop L the distance of which from said free end of the striker is such that it will only allow the latter to fall under the weight of the carrier far enough toliberate the shoulder m of the strikerfrom the lug L.

The said stop L limits the-extent of movement in which the striker can participate while it is performing the last part of its rearward movement, so that the vibration to which the parts of the gun are subjected when inaction will not-be able to shift the shoulder in intoa position of non-alinement with the log L, thereby avoiding any chance of the striker missing its engagement with said lug.

The connection of theshoulder-piece with its stem L, Fig. 11,'is eifected by a cup-shaped piece K on the crutch-entering the socketed end L of the stem, said cup-shaped piece.-

serving to receive the outer end of the pistonk is a flat pin or cotter passing through elongated holes in the stem L and the cupshaped piece K. The elongated holes in the stem L are of such dimensions as to enable the pin or cotter to tightly fit the same; but the elongated hole in the cup-shaped piece K is greater in length than the width of the pin or cotter k, Fig. 11, so that the said cupshaped piece is free'to slide within the stem to a limited extent. When the gunner in firing the gun presses his shoulder against the shoulder-piece K,he forces the cup-shaped piece forward against the resistance of the piston-spring, which therefore assists in pre venting the shock and vibration due to the firing of the gun from being too forcibly transmitted to the gunner.

In some cases the hopper J and carrier I may be made as shown in Fig. 12 wherein the said hopper is provided with a rearwardlyextending lug J which carries-the hinge-pin I, on which the cartridge-carrier I is mounted so as to turn thereon, as already explained. By this arrangement the hopper and cartridgecarrier form a composite piece that can be readily removed from the socket lof the stem L of the shoulder-piece when it is desired to work the gun semi-automatically. In order to assist in steadying Ihehopper, it may have near its rear part a lateralpin j which is adapted to engage with a slotted lug Z on the stem L when the hopper is in place, or, if desired, two of the steadying-sockets I may be pr'ovided on the stem L and the hopper may be furnished with corresponding projections nealr its opposite ends for engagement therewit 1.

What we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent ofthe United States, is

1. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with a cartridge-hopper and a hinged troughshaped cartridge-carrier adapted to swing to and fro with respect to said hopper, in order to transfer the cartridge from the hopper to .tially as described.

the loading position'pof means whereby the forward portion of the cartridge isprevented from. unduly rising in the carrier substan- 2. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with acart-ridge-hopper and a hinged trough shaped cartridge-carrieradapted to swing to and fro. with respect to said hopper in order to transfer the cartridgesfrom the'hop pe r to the loading position, of a catch mounted on .the carrierand adapted to move in aplane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the carrier, and means whereby said catch can move inwardly under the weight of a cartridgefalling from the hopper into the carrierbut cannot move outwardly beyond a limited extent substantially as and, for the purpose specified.-

3. In a quick-firing gun, the'combination with a cartridge-hopper and a hinged troughshaped cartridge-carrier adapted to swing to and frowith respectto said hopper in order to transfer the cartridges from the hopper to the loading position, of longitudinal beads extending along the edges of the said troughshaped carrier and means exterior with respect to the carrier for pushing the rim or flange of the cartridge beneath said beads as the carrier assumes its loading position substantially as described. I

4. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with a cartridge-hopper and a hinged troughshaped cartridge-carrier adaptedto swing to and fro with respect to said hopper in order.

to transfer the cartridges from the hopper to the loading position, of longitudinal beads extending along the edges of the said troughshaped carrier, and a finger eccentrically hinged at a point below the hinge of the carrier with its free end extending into an opening in the rear of the carrier substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with a cartridge-hopper, a hinged troughshaped cartridge-carrier adapted to swing to and fro with respect to said hopper in order to transfer the cartridges from said hopper to the leading position, a stem carrying said hopper and carrier, a spring-controlled piston within the said stem adapted to be retracted by the recoil movement of the gun, a striker hinged to said piston, a lug with which said striker engages to keep the piston retracted until the carrier releases the striker in assuming the loading position, and a stop on the said stem which stop is located in a positiop to support the striker during the completion of the retractive movement of the spring-piston, so thatthe vibration to which said striker is subjected during the working of the gun will be prevented from causing the striker to miss its engagement with said lug substantially as described.

6. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with the cartridge-hopper, of a cartridge-carrier hinged. to said hopper so as to oscillate in a plane longitudinal with respect to the piece of the gun, substantially asand for the purpose described.

5 .7. In a quick-firing gun, thecombination with the cartridge-hopper, of a trough-shaped cartridge-carrier hinged at its rearlend to said hopper so as to oscillate in a plane longitudinal with respect to the hopper, means for detachably connecting said hopper to the stem of the shoulder-piece of the gun, and means for steadying-said hopper when in position, substantially as described.

8. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with the cartridge-hopper, of an oscillatory trough shaped cartridge-carrier hinged at its rear end to a transverse pivot-pin onsaid hopper, means for detachably connecting said hopper to the stem of the shoulder-piece of so the gun, a forked lug on said stem an'da projection onsaid hopper to engage with theforked lug,when the hopper is in position, substantially as described.

9. In a quick-firing gun, the combination with the stem of the shoulderpiece, the striker-piston and its spring, of means for loosely connecting the shoulder-piece to the stem and for permitting it to be pushed inward against the resistance of the spring of thestri'ker-piston, thus enabling said -spring to intercept the shocks between the gun and the shoulder-piece during the working of the gun, substantiallyas described.

, In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands,in presence of two subscribing wit- 35 nesses, this 20th day of February, 1903.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. 'LOUIS SILVERMAN;

Wituessesi STUART SoUvE-RIE, 'IiENRY KING. 4 

